Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care launched its new lung transplant program in November, establishing the only program in New York to offer bloodless lung transplants. The first two lung transplants were performed upon receipt of interim approval from the United Network for Organ Sharing.

The program provides lifesaving care for children and adults, led by world-renowned physician-researchers Scott Scheinin, MD, FACS, and Harish Seethamraju, MD. The duo brings more than five decades of combined experience in advanced, end-stage pulmonary care and transplantation, including bloodless transplantation. This specialized surgical option can shorten recovery time and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke post-surgery. In addition, innovative bloodless procedures present new options to those whose religious or cultural traditions have prevented them from considering these procedures in the past.

Harish Seethamraju, MD

“By combining leading-edge treatments with a highly skilled transplant team, we are changing the way end-stage pulmonary patients are cared for in our area,” says Dr. Seethamraju.

Learn more about Montefiore’s lung transplant program at www.montefiore.org/ transplantation.

Singer Marina Morgan pauses her stellar performance to greet 3-year-old Lillian Aponte Hamilton.

Emerging pop star Marina Morgan performed live at the Z100 Holiday Party at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. Featured as Elvis Duran’s Artist of the Month in November, Marina shared her personal story with CHAM patients between songs. As a child, she was temporarily paralyzed as a result of an autoimmune disease, leading to a lengthy hospital stay, which now inspires her to help others. Z100 hosts Greg T and Garrett Vogel shared drawings at the event that were submitted for CHAM patients as part of the CHAM and Z100 “Color Your Way to a Cure” contest. The winner received tickets to Z100’s 2017 Jingle Ball. Santa gave out lots of gifts, including raffle tickets for Broadway shows Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as the Big Apple Circus and the NFL Experience, to cap off the festivities!

December marked the opening of the John H. Gutfreund Fetal Heart Program on Montefiore's Hutchinson Campus. This state-of-the-art program provides advanced cardiac care for at-risk pregnant women, with the latest imaging technology to evaluate fetal hearts. Serious health conditions in the mother, such as diabetes, lupus and other diseases, can affect the development of the fetal heart.

From left: Nadine F. Choueiter, MD; Judy L. Aschner, MD, Chair, Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief, CHAM; Giles J. Peek, MD, Chief, Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Co-Director, Pediatric Heart Center; David Tanner, Montefiore Board of Trustees Chair; Nick Gutfreund; Owen and Victoria Gutfreund; J.P. Gutfreund; Susan Gutfreund; Steven M. Safyer, MD, Montefiore President and CEO; Andreas C. Dracopoulos, Stavros Niarchos Foundation; Daphne T. Hsu, MD, Division Chief, Pediatric Cardiology and Co-Director, Pediatric Heart Center; and Susan Green- Lorenzen, RN, System Senior Vice President, Operations.

"Pregnancy can be a time of worry and stress for expectant mothers, so our goal is to diagnose babies with complex heart disease at the earliest possible time and reassure families by educating them, and planning the best care before the baby is born," says program director Nadine Choueiter, MD. Care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, advanced nurse practitioners, social workers, child life specialists and quality-of-life specialists.

The program is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation's contribution of $1 million in memory of the late Mr. Gutfreund, who served on the Montefiore Board of Trustees for decades. Mr. Gutfreund's son, J.P. Gutfreund, is currently a Montefiore Trustee.

Learn more about this innovative program by visiting cham.org/fetalheart.